Hi John,

Please call me Greg.

Great stuff and I thank you for sharing this information.

However, two things I would like to mention.

First, the ensign recommendation letter does not specify what flags that Shanks carried so it being proof that the regiment used VA state flags up to this time is not conclusive.

Secondly, the issue of their Richmond Depot Third Bunting flag with battle honors through Gettysburg in August 1863 tells us, along with the standardization of flags in Ed Johnson's Division, that this flag would have been carried from September 1863 through the end of the war. Thus it would have been in use before Fisher's Hill just on army orders alone.

The 10th Virginia was in Steuart's Brigade of Johnson's Division, Due to the wool bunting shortage at the Richmond Depot this division did not get new flags before heading into Pennsylvania. Known flags taken from this division at Gettysburg or used at Gettysburg include ANV silk flags (3rd North Carolina) and First Nationals (1st Maryland Battalion) and a Maryland state flag (same unit). I suspect that the 10th Virginia used an earlier ANV flag here as I have never seen any details of any Virginia state flags being at Gettysburg being used in action despite the errors in George Stewart's book on Pickett's Charge. Richard Rollins in his book on CS flags in the Gettysburg Campaign, "The Damned Red Flags of the Rebellion," also makes no mention of Virginia flags used in this battle. If you have provable contrary evidence I would love to see it.

The whole point of flags standardization was for the entire army to use the same flags and by Fall of 1863 they were pretty much completed along those lines save for some very few examples like the Second National flags of Cox's NC Brigade (with battle honors). As I stated in my first post, some VA state flags (and some NC state flags) get captured in 1865 because the Richmond Depot flags of these regiments had already been either captured and/or shot to shreds.

The 1st Texas used a Texas state flag along with their ANV flag against orders and that is well documented the key part here being "against orders." The 8th South Carolina carried their state flag into the town of Gettysburg but it was not used in combat that I have ever found; they used their ANV flag for the fighting.

Thanks again for the fine details of your post. I look forward to what else you care to share.

Greg Biggs